Caponizing instrument



Aug. 27, 1946.

l. L. WEBER ETI'AL CARPONIZING INSTRUMENT Filed Aug. 10, 1944' 20 I'NVENTDRS I.L.&M.H.WEBER BY ATT D R EYS Patented Aug. 27, 1946 CAPONIZIN G INSTRUMENT Ion L. Weber and Mervin H. Weber, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Application August 10, 1944, Serial No. 548,868

Claims. 1

This invention relates to caponizing instruments.

In caponizing operations it is usual to employ several instruments used in succession to carry out and complete the operation. In the first place, a scalpel is used held at the correct angle for making the preliminary incision. When this has been done, it is necessary to insert, in the incision, a spreading instrument and to unclasp it so that its arms will spread apart, thus to hold the edges of the incision apart so that the operator may then use the forceps to complete the operation. These several steps require time and, when it is considered that following the completion of the operation the spreading instrument must be removed, it will be obvious that if some 01' these steps could be feasibly eliminated that considerable time could be saved, which would mean the caponizing of a greater number of birds than ordinarily possible.

We have found that these several steps can be taken care of by one instrument, which in actual use has provided for the caponizing of a much greater number of birds than could have been dealt with under ordinary methods by the same operator.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple caponizing instrument in the form of an improved type of forceps which will eliminate the necessit of using spreaders and will effect a spreading of the incision at the same time that the forceps are being used in the extracting operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an instrument of this kind which incorporates a scalpel blade projecting from the forceps at an angle thereto and poised at a correct angle to the body of a bird when said forceps are held in substantially normal position of use in respect to said body.

A still further object oi the invention is to provide a simple and efficient type of forceps, which not only will act as a spreader to separate the edges of the incision during the extracting operation, but one employing a special formation of jaw which will provide for a clear view of the gripping portions of the Jaw when within the incision, thus permitting the operator efficiently to grip those parts to be extracted from the bird.

With these and other objects in view, the invention generally comprises an improved type of forceps including a pair of elements pivotally connected together intermediate their ends and formed with handle portions at one end and gripping jaws at the other end, the Jaws havin cooperating gripping portions for gripping parts of a bird being operated upon, at least one of the jaws being tapered rearwardly of its gripping portion to fonn a graduall widening spreader portion capable of spreading the incision in the bird and retaining the edges of the incision s read apart while employing the gripping portions within the incision. The upper Jaw is preferably formed with a longitudinal recess to provide a viewing opening during the operation while this upper Jaw is also preferably of channelled formation having side flanges forming the spreading portions of the instrument as the upper Jaw tapers outwardly and widens rearwardly of the gripping portions. Preferably also the instrument includes a scalpel blade connected intermediate the ends of the element and projecting therefrom at an angle thereto.

The invention will be clearly understood by reference to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved type of caponizing instrument according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of this instrument.

Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1, but showing the jaws open.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the instrument.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken through the instrument substantially at the point of pivotal connection of the element, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the jaws and adjacent portions of the instrument illustrating in particular the formation of the gripping portion of the Jaws.

Referring to the drawing, A indicates the caponizing instrument as a whole which is made up of the two elements l0 and II pivoted intermediate their ends by the pivot pin l2. At one end the elements are provided with the handle portions l3 and H of any desirable type and at the other end are provided with the jaws i5 and I6. While under the present invention the instrument may be made in any practical way so as to incorporate the particularl novel construction, I have illustrated in the accompanyin drawing a preferred manner of construction wherein the elements are formed from plate material cut to shape and twisted as at l1. so as to dispose the platelike jaws at right angles to the normal plane of the shank portions [8 of the instrument.

As shown particularly in Figure 3, the lower jaw It takes the form of a plate-like element having a transverse opening l9 adjacent to its outer end. This forms a gripping portion by providing the narrow bar-like end 20. The upper jaw I6 is formed with a similar gripping portion to provide the narrow bar-like end 2|, but preferably the upper jaw is provided with a longitudinally extending recess 22 which starts at the bar-like end 2| and extends rearwardly in the upper Jaw throughout a major portion of its extent. This provides a viewing opening through which the operator can obtain a clear view of internal parts of the bird when the instrument is disposed within the incision as will appear hereinafter.

According to a particular feature of the invention, the jaws are tapered re'arwardly of th r gripping portions and gradually widen to form a spreader portion B. In the present illustration. both the upper and lower jaws are tapered in this manner, but it will be appreciated that at least one of these jaws, preferably the upper law, should be so tapered. In the preferred form of construction the upper jaw is of channel formation, being provided with the side flanges 23 projecting upwardly from the plane of the jaw and being outwardly curved and flared. This forms a practical spreading portion which, when the jaws are projected through an incision in the bird, will hold the side edges of the incision spread apart and permit the operator to see the necessary interior parts of the bird as the operation is being performed. A particularly clear view isprovided by a combination of both the spreader portion of the jaws and the viewing opening 22 previously referred to.

The elements it] and II ar preferably pivoted together by means of a. bolt 2-: which is provided with an enlarged shoulder bearing portion 25 (see Figure 5), which is designed to pass through a receiving orifice in one shank of the instrument while the shank (pivot pin l2) of the bolt 24 passes through the other shank of the instrument. This permits a swinging movement of the elements of the instrument one to the other'without loosening the bolt connection.

Preferably the instrument includes a scalpel blade C which rigidly projects from the shank portions of the instrument and is preferably connected at their point of pivotal connection. This scalpel blade is designed to project from the shank at a suitable angle, such that when the instrument is held in a substantially normal position relative to the body of the bird the scalpel blade will be poised at substantially the correct angle to the birds body and corresponding to the position in which the conventional scalpel is held for the operation. Consequently, instead of it bein necessary, as in the case of past practice, to hold a scalpel vertically between the thumb and first and second fingers, then performing the operation, putting down the scalpel, picking up the spreaders, inserting them in th incision, and then picking up the forceps to introduce them to the incision, all that is necessary to d is to pick up the forceps and when they are disposed in a position but slightly different from normal position when used in the incision, and therefore disposed in a position substantially coinciding with normal operating position, the scalpel blade will be poised above the bird in correct operating position. Therefore, the incision may be made, the forceps inserted therein so as to spread the edges of the incision and the operation carried out immediately with the one instrument. The

particular facility of this will be apparent hereinafter.

The scalpel blade C is preferably mounted by slotting the upper end of the blade, as at 26, and causing the slotted portion to straddle the bolt 24, thus the blade C is securely fastened on the shank of the instrument and, by loosening the securing nut of bolt 24, the blade may be pro- Jected axially the desired degree. and likewise may be adjusted angularly to the correct position which appears to be required by the operator for performing the cutting operation quickly and efficiently.

As shown in Figure 6, the gripping portions of the Jaws are so formed that when they are brought together they will abut one another in parallel relation and the opening It will find its counterpart in the outer end of the recess 22 of the upper jaw l6, Moreover, the ends of the gripping portions are inwardly tapered, as at 21, and 28, respectively, so that the bar-like gripping end 20 and 2! in fact taper down to a relatively narrow edge at the point where they engage one another when. the Jaws are closed. On the one hand the tapered portions 21 and 28 serve to push internal parts of the bird away from the testis as the gripping portions of the jaws envelope the latter. On the other hand, the tapered portions 21 and 23 serve to provide a very narrow gripping edge which will lend to the practical and ellicient gripping of the tissue so as to provide for the final parting of the tissues properly.

In operation the caponlzing instrument is grasped in normal manner by the handle portions and assuming that the bird has been prepared for the operation the skin of the bird is stretched tightly by the thumb and index finger of the left hand in that area overlying the last and second last ribs of the bird. The instrument isthen disposed so that the point of the scalpel blade C is substantially at right angles to the plane of the skin at this point. The skinis-then laid open in normal manner by a stroke of the scalpel and, in fact, an experienced operator using this instrument may also penetrate the underlying tissue, as well as the air sac wall so that in one stroke the organs may be exposed.

When the incision has been made the instrument is then turned slightly on its side so that the gripping portion 26 and 2i of the closed jaws i5 and i6 may be caused to enter the incision. the plate-like portions of the Jaws being substantially parallel to the edges of the incision, whereupon by turning the instrument back again so that the plate-like portions of the laws are disposed at right angles to the line of th incision. the edges of the incision will be caused to spread apart. and as the instrument is projected through the incision the spreader portions 23 of the instrument will spread the edges of the incision farther apart as required for proper vision. With the organs exposed through the open incision the Jaws of the instrument are opened and through the viewing opening 22 of the upper Jaw Hi the operator is enabled readily to locate the testis which is then grasped by the gripping jaws and caused to be received in the recessed portion iii of the lower Jaw and the recess rearwardly of the gripping portion 2| of the upper jaw iii. The jaws with the enclosed testis are now gently withdrawn through the incision preferably with a slight twisting motion until the various tissues connecting the organ to the body are parted. The formation of the gripping portions 20 and 2| wherein the taper 21 and 28 forms a line edge where these portions meet one another permits the operator to completely withdraw the testicle including the capsule or sac of peritoneal membrane surrounding it, the epididimus and a short piece of the vas deferens or cord. This will therefore avoid a high percentage of slips which otherwise occur if all these parts are not removed. Moreover, the viewing opening 22 in the upper jaw i6 materially assists the operator in so engaging the jaws with these parts that there is small possibility of leaving any of them in.

When this operation has been performed the bird is preferably reversed and a similar operation performed from the other side in the usual manner.

It is clear from the foregoing that by the use Of this one instrument a great deal of time is saved in caponizing. It is obvious that the time taken to pick up a scalpel, position it in the correct position, make the incision and then put down the scalpel, pick up the spreader and insert the spreaders is avoided, as well as the then necessarv step of picking up the forceps and proceeding with the operation and the final removal of the sprcaders. This series of steps through the use of the present instrument is completely eliminated as it is only necessary to pick up one instrument. Then with the instrument disposed in a position substantially coinciding with that normally used for the extracting operation, the scalpel blade C is poised in correct position and it only requires a stroke of the scalpel the introduction of the gripping portions of the jaws to the incision and a slight twist, or the instrument to spread the incision whereupon the operation is immediately performed so that the instrument provides an efficient and practical means of performing the operation in much less time.

Apart from these important advantages, as above outlined, it should be noted that due to the fact that the instrument of the present invention can be produced along precision lines, as compared with the usual caponizing instrument at present generall in use, the instrument of the present invention can be constructed to operate on birds of various ages. as compared to two or more instruments of different sizes that are now employed according to the size and age of the bird.

In the most usual form of instrument at present in use, the jaws are formed from a single shank usually bent at the end to form a straight transverse gripping jaw which. due to the bending operation, terminates at each end in arcuate portions joining with inclined shanks that converge with one another at their point of connection with the main shank. However. the straight transverse portion of the gripping jaw is the part which performs the necessary function so that the curved connecting portions at each end actually represent surplus width, and if the operator. by reason of the appearance of the instrument which then gives the impression of a large size law, uses a, smaller instrument than is required on a larger bird, the curved ortions have the effect of clipping the ends of the testis, which is the cause of a great percentage of slips. In the case of the present instrument, the recess i9 is formed with straight edges as is possible by reason or the plate-like character of the jaws, while the cooperating part of the longitudinal recess 22 adjacent the gripping portion 2| is correspondingly formed. Therefore, it can be made of a size efficiently to operate on larger birds, while being practical also on smaller size birds. Thus, a greater range is made possible by this instrument and in effect the instrument can re- 6 place two sizes of instruments used at the present time.

One further important point in connection with the use of the instrument on birds of various sizes should be noted in respect to the instrument of the present invention. This is that by incorporating a spreader portion gradually widening rearwardly oi the gripping portions of the jaw, it makes it possible to pass the instrument through the incision to a greater or lesser degree, as required by the size of the bird. For instance, in the case of a small bird, the caponizing instrument would ordinarily be passed through the opening to a lesser degree than in the case of a larger bird. correspondingly, therefore, as the instrument of the present invention is projected through the incision to a greater or lesser degree, the spreader portion will spread the incision correspondingly to a greater or lesser degree as required in proportion to the extent to which the jaws are projected through the incision. Thus, in the case of a larger bird, the incision will be spread apart to a greater degree as would necessarily be required, while the converse is the case when operating upon a smaller bird. This is compared with the necessity in the case of the conventional caponizing instrument of using different sizes of instruments as well as different sizes of spreader. Therefore, if the instrument of the present invention replaces at least two different sizes of caponizing forceps, it will be realized that it replaces in effect four complete instruments namely, two sizes of forceps and two sizes of spreaders.

It is apparent that the invention is of such character that it can be readily manufactured without difficulty.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. A caponizing instrument comprising a pair of elements pivotaliy connected together intermediate their ends and formed with handle portlons at one end and jaws at the opposite ends. said jaws being provided with cooperating gripping portions for gripping parts of a bird on which an operation is being performed, the upper jaw being tapered and channelled rearwardly of its gripping portion to form a gradually widening spreader portion and raised side flanges capable of spreading an incision in the bird and retaining the edges of said incision spread apart while employing the gripping portions within the incision.

2. A caponizing instrument comprising a pair of elements pivotally connected together intermediate their ends and formed with handle portions at one end and jaws at the opposite ends.

said jaws being provided with cooperating gripping portions for gripping parts of a bird on which an operation is being performed, at least one of said jaws being tapered rearwardly of its gripping portion to form a gradually widening spreader portion capable of spreading an incision in the bird and retaining the edges of said incision spread apart while employing th gripping portions within the incision, the uppermost jaw being longitudinally recessed over a major portion of its length to provide a viewing opening whereby theoperator may view the work being performed by the jaws, when employed to grip parts of the bird during caponizing.

3. A caponizing instrument comprising a pair of elements pivotally connected together intermediate their ends and formed with handle portion at one end and jaws at the opposite ends, the lower jaw being in the form of a plate-like member orificed adjacent its outer end to form a gripping portion, the upper jaw overlying the lower jaw and being recessed adjacent its outer end to cooperate with the lower jaw in gripping action, said upper jaw being recessed longitudinally over a major portion of its length to provide a viewing opening whereby the operator may view the work being performed as the Jaws are employed to grip parts of the bird during a eaponizing operation.

4. A capenizing instrument as claimed in' claim 3 in which the cooperating gripping recess of the upper jaw merges with and forms part of the longitudinally extending viewing recess.

5. A caponizing instrument comprising a pair of elements pivotally connected together intermediate their ends and formed with handle portions at one end and jaws at the opposite ends, the lower jaw being in the form of a plate-like member orificed adjacent its outer end to form a gripping portion, the upper Jaw overlying the lower jaw and being recessed adjacent its outer end to cooperat with the lower jaw in gripping action, said upper jaw being formed with a cooperating recess. said recesses being formed with straight edges substantially at right angles to one another to form a straight gripping jaw portion throughout it length in each jaw of a length capable of operating upon the organs of larger sized birds as well as smaller sized birds, each one of said jaws including a gradually widening spreader portion rearwardly of said gripping portions and of a length capable of spreading an incision apart to a degree necessary according to the size of the bird.

ION L WEBER.

MERVIN H. WEBER. 

